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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fine — all right
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mine — for digging
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rule — government
  10. ground — a position
  11. present — there
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. present — the time now
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. fine — high quality
  19. present — a gift
  20. lean — thin
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com